Original Text
In the northern village of Linzi County, there was a dried-up well, and two villagers, Jia and Yi, lowered themselves to the bottom to dredge it. When they had dug about a foot deep, they uncovered a skull, and accidentally broke it open, only to find gold coins held in its mouth; delighted, they pocketed them. Continuing to dig, they found six or seven more skulls, and smashed every one, but found no more gold. Beside the skulls were two porcelain vases and a bronze vessel. The bronze vessel was as large as two arms could encircle, weighing several tens of catties, with two cups on its sides, its purpose unknown, its colors mottled and dazzlingly strange. The porcelain vases were also ancient, not of recent make. After coming up from the well, both Jia and Yi fell into a deathlike stupor. After a while, Yi revived and said, "I am a man of the Han dynasty. When Wang Mang usurped the throne, the world fell into chaos, and my whole family jumped into this well. By chance, we had a small amount of gold, so we placed it in our mouths; indeed, it was not the funerary object placed in the mouths of the dead, nor did everyone possess it. Why did you have to smash all our skulls? This is truly hateful!" The villagers burned incense and paper money, praying together, and promised to rebury them properly. Only then did Yi recover, but Jia never revived.
A scholar named Sun from Yanzhen, upon hearing of this matter, was greatly astonished and purchased that bronze vessel. Juren Yuan Xuan-si obtained one of the porcelain vases, which could be used to test the weather's yin and yang: when the sky was overcast, one could see a slightly moist spot, initially as small as a grain of rice, gradually expanding and rounding until soon rain would fall; when the moisture vanished, the clouds would part and the sky would clear. Another ancient vase came into the possession of Scholar Zhang, and it could be used to indicate the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month: on the first day, a black spot the size of a bean would appear on the vase, growing larger over time; by the fifteenth day, the entire vase would be covered with black spots; after the fifteenth, they would gradually recede; by the last day of the month, it would return to its original state. Because it had been buried in the earth for a long time, a small stone had adhered to the vase's mouth, which could not be removed by scrubbing or scraping. When they tapped it, the stone fell off, but the vase's mouth was left with a small chip, which was indeed a regrettable matter. When flowers were steeped in the vase, after they withered, they would bear fruit, no different from those growing on a tree.
Commentary
Using stories to illustrate natural history is a major characteristic that distinguishes "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" from the Six Dynasties' natural history chapters.
First, it recounts the strange encounter of villagers dredging a well, then describes the unearthed artifacts: "two porcelain vases and one bronze vessel." Next, it details the characteristics of these items, focusing primarily on the ancient porcelain. One porcelain piece "could indicate clear or overcast weather," while another "could mark the new and full moons." The description of the latter includes a flaw, yet "when flowers were placed in it to soak, the fallen blossoms would bear fruit, no different from those on the tree." The narrative is orderly yet varied, leaving a profound impression.